The following post is from the SK archives and was written by Amy Anderson of Let’s Explore.

Setting goals is not just for grown-ups. Even our littles can benefit from the confidence-boost that comes from setting a goal, working towards it, and achieving it.

Goal-setting with young children should be simple and straightforward:

Involve your child as much as possible in choosing an appropriate goal.

Listen for times when your little one says, “I wish I could…” and think about ways to turn that wish into a specific goal.

First-time goals should be achievable in a day or two.

Decide on a great way to celebrate your child’s success.

No matter what the goal, kids (and grown-ups, too) will benefit from a visual way to track progress. With some basic supplies, you and your child can create some fun and effective goal-setting charts. Here are some of the charts we have enjoyed using over the years.Let’s set some goals![Read more…]

I hope you are having wonderful holiday season, my friends. I know that we sure are! We have had two weekends in a row of family gatherings and are looking forward to celebrating Christmas this weekend with even more family.

Very soon, it will be time to tell the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who helped to make our holiday so merry how thankful we are for their company and generosity.

Yes, kids, we will be writing Thank You notes.

This year, I hope to include a of photo of each child with the gift they are thankful for (or the items purchased with a gift card or money, if that is the case). I think this will be a fun, personal touch and add a few snapshots to our loved ones’ fridges, too as I haven’t done the best job this past year in sending out recent pictures of the kids.

My family and I want to wish you and your kids a very Merry Christmas!

I hope your days this week are merry and bright, but also that there are moments filled with peace and calm (and maybe some extra sleep?)

For all of you hard working moms, dads, grandparents, and care givers I pray that this holidays find you getting in touch with your own inner child and that you play, celebrate, and experience true joy right alongside your children.

This has been a year of changes, trials, and accomplishments for our family, and it has also been a year of change and growth for Simple Kids.

Thank you for being loyal readers, for your understanding during the changes that happened this year, and for your support and encouragement. I love writing here and I’m looking forward to 2014!

Notice some posts with missing images? Things not quite right? The dust is still settling about as I get the blog up and running again. I'm working to fix images and broken links as quickly as I'm able. Thanks for your patience! - Kara